Please Come Prepared

David R. Busse

David R. Busse

Well-known member
This last rash of Santa Ana winds and wildfires in Southern California brought a huge influx of local station tv crews from afar...more than I'd seen on previous fires.

The winds are calm (now), but we are into November, which is traditionally the worst fire month of the year, and we in the SoCal news business are operating under the assumption that it could happen again...soon.

It's also the November book, when news directors like to send local crews hither and yon. We saw fire units from as far away as Illinois, Missouri, Minnesota and West Virginia here in California...and had a similar assortment of newsies tagging along.

With that in mind, I post this simply to remind folks well outside of California who might get dispatched our way on wildfire coverage to bring the proper clothing!

If you have Nomex wildland fire clothing bring it. If not, bring all-cotton shirts and pants and try to get Nomex gear if you arrive here and the winds are still blowing. Under PC sec. 409.5 (d) you'll be given better access to the firelines than you would ever expect, and embers from wind blown fires can be dangerous even a mile or two from the active fire. You don't want hot embers landing on polyester clothing.

I worked with a couple of top-notch east-coast crews during our fires who were all astounded at the ease of access to firelines and the danger areas. That may also illustrate how easy it would be for people to get in trouble who aren't familiar with wildfires.

Hard-sole shoes are a MUST, whether the fire is still burning or not. I was working with a visiting crew a few days ago when the story angle was displaced residents returning to burned-out homes. Winds were calm and the Nomex gear wasn't needed, but the cameraman (wearing soft-sole day hikers...the same shoes I usually wear in daily news situations) stepped on a rusty nail within a few minutes of arrival.

In fire aftermath stories, nails and other sharp objects are everywhere. Hard-sole shoes are the only way to go.

Somewhere a few years ago, I clipped an on-line discussion about what to bring for coverage of a hurricane. Never done that before, but the list is in my "run bag" if I ever get sent to one. If you are on your station's "go to" list for breaking news, I'd be happy to give you a better list if what I take to work during fire season.

PS--if you do come out this way for fire coverage, you'll find the local TV crews and uplinkers generally quite helpful on the scene.
 
Great avatar pic- Don Cherry is the stuff!

So as for Fire gear, I know in many situations fire pants and jackets are required. But what else can they demand that you have? I hear that some crews were turned away from covering the Tahoe fires because they didn't have helmets.
 
David R. Busse said:
In fire aftermath stories, nails and other sharp objects are everywhere. Hard-sole shoes are the only way to go.
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Not to mention that the ground can stay hot for hours after the fire has gone out, with embers still burning in the ash. I was advised by the Florida forestry people not to wear soft-soled shoes because they had seen people melt their shoes and burn their feet.

We were also told not to wear steel-toed boots. They said the steel had a tendency to conduct heat into the shoe and would burn your feet. I've seen contradictory advice elsewhere, so I'm not sure who to believe.
 
That is all great advice David. Those of us, myself included who have never covered wildfires wouldn't think of things like that. You mentioned Nomex Wildland fire clothing and MattBox mentioned fire pants and fire jackets. Are there places in wildfire-prone areas where that kind of stuff can be rented?

Warren
 
I don't know of anyplace that rents this stuff, but there are plenty of places that sell it, like http://www.firecache.com/prodinfo.asp?number=10.4920.Y

Good shoes, gloves, Nomex shirt and a helmet are mandatory...Nomex pants are good to have, too. In the old days, the Forest Service would usually issue this gear to visiting news media at the fire camp. Maybe they still do. Our gear is issued by the station after mandatory wildland fire training each year...my old USFS-issue gear was finally "retired" a few years ago.

In California, it's important to get only one color Nomex gear: yellow. Orange gear is worn by prison inmates on fire crews and you might have a bit of explaining to do at the wrong end of a gun if you wear orange to a fire.
 
When I was fighting fire many years ago, steel toe boots were not allowed for that reason. They will burn your feet in the heat. Vibram soles were also required. Vibram will not melt apparantly.

Also the yellow and brown pants were very fashionable and quite comfortable. Get some and wear them on your days off.

Hard hats are also needed. Try to stay away from the metal ones, the USFS some years ago made everyone switch to plastic. Something about metal attracting lightning. Still some of the old timers did not change. I have mine in storage just for the right occasion, Halloween.
 
Don't forget the bottled water.

I always have a six-pack of bottled water.

Here in NM, we can't get a sniff of any wildfires if we don't have the Nomex gear, non-steel-sole high boots, a helmet, leather gloves, and bottle water.

If we have this stuff, we're good to go. I have seen shooters from my competition turned away/denied an escort to the scene because they didn't have "the goods."

In my "fire season bag" I've also added a particle-filtration mask, a whistle, a flashlight, and beef jerky.

But I've "retired" the fire season bag for the year...and now have my "snow season bag" in the car.

Discussion of THAT bag is for another thread.
 
LuccaBrazzi said:
I always have a six-pack of bottled water.

Here in NM, we can't get a sniff of any wildfires if we don't have the Nomex gear, non-steel-sole high boots, a helmet, leather gloves, and bottle water.

If we have this stuff, we're good to go. I have seen shooters from my competition turned away/denied an escort to the scene because they didn't have "the goods."

In my "fire season bag" I've also added a particle-filtration mask, a whistle, a flashlight, and beef jerky.

But I've "retired" the fire season bag for the year...and now have my "snow season bag" in the car.

Discussion of THAT bag is for another thread.
Click to expand...

Don't forget tee shirts from previous fires...I have a hat from the Los Alamos fires in your state a few years ago. Couldn't believe how the wearing of full turnout gear at that fire helped access...now I know why.

BTW, maybe it harkens back to my days as a firefighter, but I simply cannot wear those particle-filtration masks. Ugh.

Quote me and put it on my headstone.

Re "snow season" run bag. That's probaby an excellent discussion for this forum. My snow bag includes Polartec vest and pants, high-tech underwear and gore-tex bibs and jacket (Cabelas Guidewear). Shoes are Sorels. I also have one of my old flight suits (coveralls) which are great for installing snow chains and other messy winter jobs normally associated with running sat trucks in bad weather.
 
The regulations here now are all media must be trained in bush fire awareness / basic crew training and can only access a fire scene wearing proper nomex uniforms, Fire service media accreditation so they know you have been trained by them.
So that means mandatory, uniform, boots, helmet, goggles etc which are all marked Media so no mistakes on who you are.
Oh and remember cotton jocks & socks or woolen socks, the radiated heat can be high enough to melt said items if you get caught out.
If you want to buy all your own gear it will cost about $300 but all stations here have full uniforms for all of their crews and reporters.
The boots thing is really important as boots you may think are ok start to unglue when it gets hot. So again get a list of approved boots from a fire dept as it's no use trying to get away when the soles of your boots start coming away.
I don't think being properly trained is such a bad thing as opposed to being properly dead or maimed.
Strange thing is more people die of stress related heart attacks, heat stroke & falling trees / tree limbs, burnt out lungs than actually being burned to a crisp.
Trees are silent killers.

I also found a company which makes steel inserts for shoes so you can walk around areas after such events or natural disasters wearing lighter footwear after the event with some protection.
I will post the link when I find the paperwork.

Here is the link for the steel boot / shoe inserts.
http://www.soleguard.com.au/

I watched a guy wearing a really light-weight pair of puma running shoes stamp on a nail with these things in them. I cringed he grinned at my reaction :) he stamped down hard on the nail... it just bent over.

Pete (see post below) makes a point about your ears being covered. Your ears are the best baromiter you have. When they feel like they are burning you know it's time to get out of there.

Cheers and be safe out there.

D&B
 
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Also, if you have fire boots (all leather with vibram soles) be sure you break them in before you go out to the lines. Wear them during the winter season. Because if your feet hurt because you have new shoes and you need to run I would rather have shoes that are broke in.

Also, Dont use headphones on both ears. Use one of those IFB style ear piece. Because you need to be able to hear commands from the fire boss. I know your headphones are connected to your mic...but your ears are no as directional.
 
I forgot to mention: Here in NM we always have a "Fire Season Primer" meeting every Spring: Reporters, Photogs, Producers, Assignment Desk people...PIO's, Incident Commanders....ANYONE in the media is invited.

State Parks & The Nat'l Forest Service organize this--and they even provide juice, coffee, donuts and pastries!)

It's really cool: We get all of the important phone numbers from the various PIO's, ranger stations, Fire Jumpers, Pueblos, state parks, national parks, fire spotters, etc.

I like that we actually meet them...B-S with them...so that when we DO call them, we at least have a "little" bit of a relationship already established.

We also get a crash-course on how to use those portable Fire-shelters (they're handed out to us at the scene if we get to go "in." And they go over all of the necessary stuff that we need to have in order to get access.

We're also provided w/the latest forecasts of the upcoming season.

If you guys don't have this, I STRONGLY suggest you (maybe w/the cooperation of your competitors) try to arrange one of these meet-and-greets every spring. It could make your next fire-season a bit easier to cover.
 
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